Romney was so flustered in his dropout speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee in Washington Thursday, that he didn't even mention Ron Paul.

That's not unusual, actually. Hardly any other candidate and virtually no major media, especially CNN, has mentioned his name for the last year, so terrified are they of his stare and his libertarian-like views, including downsizing the federal government, bringing American troops home and abolishing the Federal Reserve.

Sometimes it seems almost like a media conspiracy to ignore the former ob-gyn. Except for not one....

Ron Paul signs are still flapping in the prairie winds across Iowa, where Paul's caucus finish ahead of Rudy Giuliani launched the former New York mayor's eventual political decline. Then, in New Hampshire despite being barred from the nationally-televised Fox News debate, Paul beat former Sen. Fred Thompson, which began his inevitable political death spiral.

In the face of Paul's relentless campaigning here and there and his successful fundraising -- he raised nearly $20 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, more than any other Republican -- Romney, who only has an estimated $165 million of his personal fortune left, had no choice really but to quit.

That leaves only Pittsburgh-native Paul, somebody named John McCain and this Mike Huckabee fellow from Arkansas, who seems to have had considerable trouble keeping a job. He's been a radio talk host, a Baptist preacher, lieutenant governor and governor. And Huckabee's had trouble raising money. He got only $1 million in the third quarter compared to Paul's $5 million.

So Huckabee can't last much longer.

That will leave only McMaverick, a former Navy squadron commander and POW who endured nearly six years of solitary confinement in Vietnam and then, worse, 25 years of listening to congressional speeches. He didn't get around to mentioning Paul either in his speech Thursday, but he was probably afraid.

Paul's website reports he's raised another $5.3 million just since Jan.1, which is more than Hillary Clinton can loan herself in one week.

Paul has given the Democrats until early August to choose between Clinton and Barack Obama, who's so young he can't remember life without color TV.